


Safe?

by Go_get_Jakes_gun



Category: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Movies)
Genre: Hurt/Comfort, If you can stick it through to the end then you're made of metal or something, M/M, Nightmares, Oh my Newt, Oh my ship, Past Torture, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Violence, bare with me, completely useless tags, cute shenanigans, i know my writing sucks, i'm so sorry i have no excuse for this, siblings being siblings
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-24
Updated: 2017-06-06
Packaged: 2018-11-04 12:53:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,720
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10991337
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Go_get_Jakes_gun/pseuds/Go_get_Jakes_gun
Summary: Percival Graves had spent months under that psychopaths care, so excuse him for being a little selfish and accepting Picquery's offer. He can go to his nice, SAFE home... but he has to take a certain magizoologist with him to make sure that he doesn't hurt himself, 'just incase.'





	1. Chapter 1

It was cold in the cellar. Cold. Of course, one might argue that since he’d been kept there, blindfolded for the past three or so months (he’d lost count a week into this madness) that he ought to be used to this.

 

He wasn’t sure exactly _where_ he was, per say, only that it was most definitely a cellar because it smelled like whiskey and beer and wine and, well, all the other alcoholic beverages one might think belonged in a cellar. That, and the floor beneath him- brick, _definitely_ \- was too mossy for him to possibly be sitting in your average room in your average house.

 

But he was not afraid, no. A Graves was _never_ afraid.

 

He had refused to show any hint of fear, not even when that madman, Grindelwald, had Cruciatused him to the floor until the breath was robbed from his lungs and he could no longer see. Not even during the interrogation- that god _awful interrogation!_... no, a Graves never showed fear. _Never_. Not even when…

 

He swallowed. Not even when Grindelwald had come back that awful, _awful_ day, wearing his face and smelling like _her_ …

 

“Percy,” he'd teased, “You never did tell me how lovely your little sister was. Nice family, by the way. Two kids, a handsome husband. Too handsome for her, I’m afraid, wouldn’t you agree? Say, did you ever tell her what went on between you and him?” Percival felt bile rising in his throat, “Just saying, it’s mighty convenient how close he still is to you and all. I’m guessing he _still_ thinks of you as the ‘one who got away,’” Grindelwald chuckled, that horrible laugh disguised in a familiar voice. “And why didn’t you tell me about your older brothers? What, Percy, are you ashamed? Scared of being the pathetic one in your family.”

 

Percival Graves _growled_. _Leave them alone_ , he wanted to scream, but couldn’t. He’d been under the influence of a silencing charm for nearly a month.

 

But that was in the past. Now… now he almost missed that condescending man, it was better, _anything_ was better, than the silence that he now endured.

 

He heard a soft growl and froze… never mind, take back everything he said, every one knew that loners were loonies, a heh heh.

 

It took him a while to realize that the growl wasn’t threatening him, and that there were voices coming from near it… _familiar_ ,  voices. Yes, um, as he was saying, _anything_ was better than the silence that he now-

 

His blindfold came off, he immediately shut his eyes, the surrounding light (‘what light?’ an outsider may have questioned) a tad too bright on his newly opened eyes. Hands were undoing the bindings whilst the rest of his department undid the magical bonds keeping him in place.

 

He managed to open his eyes just a smidgen and saw Tina Goldstein, Iris Bullstrode and a man whom looked fairly familiar in front of him… though maybe a bit smaller and scrawnier…

 

“Can someone _please_ do something about this damn beast!?” the all-too-familiar voice of Theodore Leopardsbane cried out.

 

The familiar-ish man in front of him yelled back, “It’s an Amarok,” of all things.

 

Oh gods, weren’t those illegal? If only he had his voice.

 

Iris frowned, “Wait, aren’t those, like, illegal?”

 

The man gulped, “Ummm, did you want him found dead or alive? Alive? Yes, so let’s just… uh… into the, um, stretcher, ah, yes,” more awkward than he remembered too, huh…

 

He made a motion to speak, but nothing came out. Tina seemed to notice and cast a countercurse on his throat and mouth.

 

“Th-thank you,” his throat felt like sandpaper, “Tiii,” that was all he could say before he blacked out.

.

 

When he next awoke he was in a brightly lit room- _way_ too bright! He squinted, his eyes shutting for a moment before he gradually became more used to the light, trying to blink away the tears.

 

“Do you need a hand with that?” came a slightly British voice that made him tense, he _swears_ that guy looks just like… _nah_!

 

The man comes up to Graves and wipes his eyes with a handkerchief (oh how _very_ British), before placing Graves’s hands on his side. Oh right, he forgot what it felt like to move them. He was fairly adept at wandless magic, and when his first escape attempt failed, Grindelwald bound his wrists in anti-magic cuffs- but they would have been impossible to break if you couldn’t use magic, and to his knowledge nobody had the keys…

 

“Pickett,” the man scolded a thing, leafy green thingamabobby on his shoulder, was that a- wait, oh… _oh_ , that’s how they got him out!

 

“How’re you feeling?” he was asked.

 

Unused to talking, he managed to get out the word, “Better.”

 

“I hope so, bit of a mess we found you in, mate.”

 

“You're- you're… British?” Graves croaked.

 

“Well, yeah.” The man said, somewhat startled.

 

“Are you an Auror?”

 

“Who? Me!? Oh, heavens no! I’m a magizoologist!” the brunet said, chipper.

 

“What!?” despite his bedridden state, Graves managed to seem quite scary as he shouted- though it came out as more of a hoarse whisper- out, “They let a _civilian_ go on a stake out!?”

 

“With all due respect, Mister Graves, I would hardly call myself a civilian. I was called in as more of a… consultant, see, Tina thought that it would be easier to track you down if we had a beast or two helping, and I can hardly blame her seeing as Moonclaw was the one who found you.”

 

“That’s hardly the point, you could’ve been injured or-”

 

“Sir, please, calm down. This isn’t my first time working with Aurors, I did it all the time back in England when my brother’s team were having enough trouble with a case.”

 

“Brother?”

 

“Why yes, Theseus Scamander, sir.”

 

 _That’s_ why the stranger looked so familiar! His old war-buddy and pen-pal had mentioned someone. What was his name again? Boot? Groot? It sure as hell wasn’t Mute…

 

“Newt Scamander?”

 

“Yes, that’s my-”

 

Suddenly his eyelids felt drowsy and he collapsed on his bed to the noises of nurses fussing over him and footsteps, so many…

.

 

When he next wakes, it is Tina that is by his bedside. She smiles at him. “Hello, Mister Graves,” she greets.

 

His mouth didn’t move/ no words came out.

 

A nurse came by, humming. She cast a spell on him.

 

“Well, all his vitals seem in order this time. We still have a few tests to run, but if all goes well then he should be able to go home.”

 

Home. _His_ home. Gods he missed that place! He’d been kidnapped as he was exiting the Woolworth building. There were anti-apparition spells in place that spanned roughly a one mile radius of the building to prevent criminals from apparating into MACUSA and killing everyone, and Grindelwald had caught him just as he was about to disapparate back home.

 

Oh… oh god, he was going to have to go back out there again, wasn’t he? Panic gripped him and he started to hyperventilate. He felt a nurse press him back down and he was unconscious again.

 

.

 

The final time he woke up… well, woke up in the hospital wing of MACUSA… well, woke up in the hospital wing of MACUSA under these exact conditions, there was a low evening glow to the room. He knew, of course, that the ceiling had been enchanted to reflect the atmosphere outside.

 

He saw a woman with red-hair staring down at him softly. He vaguely recognized her as Porpentina Goldstein’s younger sister, what was her name again? Meanie? Weenie?

 

“Oh, Queenie, dear,” she smiled at him gently.

 

He opened his mouth to speak and panic hit him. He couldn’t speak, not any more. It had been weeks, he’d never able to-

 

“Sshh,” she soothed, “Come on, Percival. Say the words, they were always there, you just couldn’t hear them. Come now, everything’s alright, we’ve got that madman locked up. Say it with me. ‘Hello’.”

 

“H-hello,” he croaked.

 

“Good,” she praised, reaching for a glass of water on his bedside, and passing it to him.

 

“Thank you,” he mumbled, having gulped it down.

 

“Now, the nurses have checked you out and they say you're good to go. Tina and I were thinking-”

 

“Home.” He interrupted, which he would later admit to himself was quite rude.

 

Tina’s sister blinked, and truth be told he was quite proud to catch her off guard. There was something in that woman that made you feel as though she always knew your next move.

 

“W-wha, O-OK then, uhhh,” that was clearly not what she had been expecting.

 

And then, since the Universe seemed to hate him, Picquery, Tina, and that Newt fellow, that weird weird British fellow that looked nothing like his brother, but oddly enough appeared as Percival would have imagined him all things considered. After all, he may be giving Newt a hard time for talking, well, a lot, but that was nothing compared to Theseus Scamander whenever the topic of his brother was brushed. Graves and his fellow army brothers had to learn that the hard way.

 

_“Oh, and this is a picture of Newt, isn’t he so cute?”_

_“That’s him and his best-friend, Leta Lestrange! Aren’t they adorable? I sure do hope they get married!”_

_“Oh my_ goodness _, you'll never guess what that little bitch did! On the bright side, they’ve managed to reduce his sentencing to a suspension thanks to Albus Dumbledore. I owe that man my life…”_

 _“HOLY SHIT!! WHO THE FUCK LET NEWT PARTICIPATE IN THE WAR!? WHAT THE BLOODY HELL!! He-he’s far too young, just recently turned eighteen! What kind of monster makes a child that young_ fight!?”

 

Yeah, to this day he was still surprised that Theseus’s shouting and exclamations about his brother hadn’t gotten them killed. Theseus should be grateful, Graves’s plan had been to strangle him in the after life if he got them killed.

 

He’d joined in 1914 unofficially, with his best mates Theodore and Rufus. They’d flown by broom to Britain with fake papers claiming them to be British, considerably younger and dying to fight in the war. After the howlers from his family, he’d begun to assume that they’d either accepted that he was going to fight in this war… or that they’d completely disowned him and had decided to sever ties. Either way, he was ecstatic, finally free and independent… and then he found his dead family owl on a southwards retreat…

 

That was how he’d met Theseus, they'd been placed in the same wing, and 3 years later, when the USA officially joined the war, he’d flown back, used his _real_ name, and fought on the behalf of his country.

 

He’d seen pictures of Newt, but they were always either in black and white or, occasionally, in Sepia. He was always smiling and surrounded by dragons that he couldn’t for the life of him remember the name of, despite the fact that Theseus had talked about them at least several hundred times.

 

On the bright side though, the boy didn’t seem as big headed as he should have been given that Theseus had likely been mothering him his entire life.

 

Picquery looked at him.  “Percival,” she greeted, crisply.

 

“Madame President,” he replied coldly, giving a curt nod.

 

“It’s good to have you back. We have Grindelwald under lock and key, but you’re expressly forbidden to have any contact with him,” Good, he didn’t want to see that madman. “Your body seems ready to go, but we’re not entirely sure about your mind,” she frowned. “We’ve scheduled appointments for you with Dr. Eizenburgh on Wednesdays, but until then we think it best to keep you under supervision, so that any lingering effects your captivity may have left don’t put you in any harm, a-”

 

“With all due respect, Madame President,” he said, clutching his head in pain, “I would really just rather go home now.”

 

“Ah,” she seemed unsure what to say, as he’d clearly caught her off guard. “Um, very well then, but you'll need to take an escort.” She paused, humming. “Mr. Scamander, you shall accompany Mr. Graves to his home and see that he is comfortable.”

 

Newt seemed to hesitate. Gods above, Percival felt guilty about putting the boy in a situation like this, but it was late and he was tired and given his recent captivity, he supposed that he had the right to be selfish.

 

“A-alright,” the man stammered.

 

“Good,” she smirked before turning on her heel and walking back down the hall briskly.

 

Tina and Queenie shared a glance with each other, silently nodding.

 

“Alright, well. If you two don’t need anything, then we’ll just… be on our way,” Tina said slowly, her sister’s arm and hers hooked together.

 

“We’ll be fine, Tina, you two get some sleep. We’ll see you in the morning.” Newt replied.

 

The two nodded and walked off, if Graves noticed the slightly hurried pace once the two ~~(thought they)~~ were out of earshot, he didn’t mention it.

 

“Well then, Director Graves, shall we-er, shall we get going?”

.

 

Newt hummed as he and Graves walked through the streets outside the Woolworth building. Graves looked visibly shaken. He, of course, had no idea what to do. Had he wanted to go home with Graves? Not necessarily, but he understood that it had to be done. It had been late at night, and the only ones that were permitted to go back to their homes were women. He couldn’t ask any of them to do it because their reputations would be shattered!

 

And plus, not that he was trying to brag or anything, but having an overprotective Auror for a brother meant that he was better suited at defensive spells than the majority of MACUSA’s Aurors (Case study: The shit that went down in the subway with Grindelwald!).

 

He’d heard of Percival Graves many a time courtesy of Theseus. He knew that they’d met in the war and still exchanged letters every now and then due to them both being the Head of their department in their respective ministries.

 

But regardless of how impressive the man sounded, he was in the country because right after he got off his boat, he had realized that the Niffler was no longer with him, and an owl waiting for him at his parents house only helped confirm his suspicions.

 

And he was _also_ supposed to be going over the corrections made by his proof-reader, deciding which ones were relevant and which ones weren’t. The book was a tad bulky, but rather than being advised to cut bits out, it’d been praised for its content and he’d been told not to leave anything out- though his editor had suggested that he take some of the breeding information out of the versions that were going to be used within schools.

 

Thankfully, he had his case with him, so once he got Percival to go to sleep, he could check up on his creatures and resume his work. He hoped Graves wouldn’t mind, it wasn’t like Newt was mad that he had to look after him, after all, Newt may've nearly died multiple times at the hands of Grindel!Graves, but he couldn’t fathom what it must’ve been like to be under that madman’s control, kept as a prisoner in one of the ranches that his own family owned!

 

He spied another glance to his side in time to catch Graves having a full-blown panic attack.

 

He placed a hand on the crumbling man’s back, awkwardly shooing away the prying eyes of passers-byes, and kneeling so that he was face to face with the director of Magical Security.

 

“Hey, hey,” Newt said, “It’s alright, don’t worry. Grindelwald can’t get you, it’s OK. It’s alright, you’re safe, you’re with me, remember? Yeah. Percy,” he decided it was worth the risk of potentially striking a nerve in the man. “Percy, look at me. You're safe. He doesn’t have you anymore, you’re safe and you’re with me. Now how about we run the rest of the mile and then disapparate the heck out of here? Huh?”

 

It wasn’t working very effectively, so, covering his arm, he muttered a quick “Aguamenti,” which seemed to help a little bit as the man looked up at him, terror still shining brightly in those dark, dark eyes of his.

 

“Alright, come on,” Newt said, dragging the man up with him, “Quickly now, the sooner we’re at your place the sooner we’ll be safe.”

 

Percival nodded, shaking, and did his best to hurry.

 

Newt frowned. It was only Sunday night, but _Hecate_ did he wish that it was Tuesday night. He wasn’t so sure anymore about being able to handle this…


	2. Chapter 2

Graves seemed to calm down considerably once he was in his apartment. Newt had managed to get him under control enough for Graves to apparate the two of them to it.

 

Newt thought about asking him what had happened but thought better of it, if Graves wanted to tell him then he’d tell him.

 

Newt gazed around the place. Quite literally, a bachelor pad- except that he couldn’t see a bed anywhere. Then again, Tina had talked a lot about Graves when they were trying to find him, one of the things she’d mentioned was that he didn’t have a spouse or a lover at all. How that had probably complicated things as he/she could have informed MACUSA that her/his husband hadn’t been home in a few days and they would’ve gone through a very thorough checking when ‘Mr. Graves’ showed up again.

 

As it happened, they’d thought that he was on holiday (he’d been scheduled to take a two-week holiday to Mexico) and, when a man showed up looking and talking like Mr. Graves a week later, they didn’t question that he’d come back early since everyone knew that he loved working so much, his lack of wife/husband and kids living proof of it.

 

And it wasn’t like he saw his family often, Tina had mentioned that Graves only ever took the two weeks off a year around the time that Newt had shown up, but that he’d had to reorganize due to the current crisis in New York regarding what they now knew was an Obscurial. Picquery had shooed him away to Mexico for a ‘crisis’ that had turned out to actually be a surprise vacation.

 

There was much speculation on how Grindelwald had found out about the surprise. But it was pretty evident once the man was captured and Picquery’s assistant suddenly forgetful about most of the events of the past few months, that Grindelwald had Imperiused her.

 

She’d had to be moved to a different department, regretfully, because there could be no risk of information from MACUSA being leaked out, but on the bright side, Newt supposed, she _did_ make more money now. She’d been sent as a spy to a mug- _No-Maj_ news-publishing industry, so she got two salaries… that was more fair than being fired for being placed under the Imperius Curse, right?

 

He blinked. Wait. Where had Graves gone?

 

Newt spun around, unable to find the man- oh, there he was.

 

Graves rose from where he’d bent down on the floor to inspect something and caught Newt’s curious eyes.

 

“I’m just checking for any food that hasn’t expired yet.” Graves said.

 

“Oh,” Newt felt stupid for no reason at all other than the fact that Graves had caught him looking… that was weird…

 

“Ah! I’ve found some!” Graves shouted, waving some canned item in the air.

 

“You know, Mr. Graves, I’m sure one of the habitats in my suitcase has some-” Newt stopped himself, shitshitshit! Maybe Graves wouldn’t notice?

 

“Habitats? In your suitcase?” Graves frowned, not having missed a beat.

 

“Oh, um, I was- I was, um-”

 

To his surprise, the previously timid and jumpy looking man gave a warm chuckle. “It’s alright, Newt. Your brother’s told me all about your ‘secret suitcase’.”

 

Newt frowned. How did he know Theseus? Wait- more importantly, how did Theseus know? He’d never told him, and he’d always been sure to keep tight lipped about it in front of Aurors, especially HODs like Theseus. Let’s just say, some of the creatures down there, yeah? They weren’t necessarily the most legal, especially in terms of what some would likely consider ‘exporting’ and ‘importing’.

 

“Y-you know Theseus?” Newt frowned. “That’s odd. Although I do supposed that-that it makes some sense and, um, well, it’s still a little funny. How did you two meet? Is it because you're both HODs? Are you friends? Do you two like each other or is it strictly professional? Do you chat often? Do blah blah blah, blah blah blah blah, blah blah blah blah monkey blah blah blah,” Newt chattered on leaving Graves to stare at the rambling bo- er, man, he supposed now- in some funny mixture of horror and fondness like an “I’m _seriously_ going to be _living_ with _this_ guy!?” and a “I’m _seriously_ going to be _living_ with _this_ guy!”

 

What was that about Nundus?

 

Graves smiled and opened his mouth to say something, but no noise came. It seemed to cut Newt off mid rant as he rushed over towards the man.

 

“Um, Mr. Graves,” Newt _clearly_ didn’t know what to do, that much was obvious, thought Graves as he started crumbling to the floor, choking. “Breathe, sir. Breathe. It’s alright, It’s- oh god, ohgodohgodohgod.” He felt Newt shifting and reaching for something before he was face-to-face with Newt’s wand.

 

“Leglimens,” Newt incanted.

 

Percival found himself reliving the thoughts he was just thinking… huh, would you look at that.

 

He felt Newt’s tight arms stop the scrambling as Newt enveloped him in a big hug, Graves able to feel tears on his back.

 

“Sshhh, sshhhh, it’s OK. You can speak, shhhh. Shhhh.” Newt soothed. “I know it’s been hard, but you’re safe now P- Mr. Graves,” Newt said. “You’ve been through a lot. How about I make you some dinner and give you a nice sleeping draught? I’ve got some left over, it’ll help you sleep more peacefully.”

 

Graves wanted to roll his eyes and remind Mr. Scamander that as the Director of Magical Security he was very well versed in sleeping draught benefits and disadvantages, but no words were coming out yet.

 

Newt flipped open his suitcase, jumped down, and emerged moments later with some vegetables.

 

“I grow them,” he explained, throwing them and, with wandless magic having them scurry off into the kitchen to cook themselves.

 

Newt watched the vegetables dance away for a brief moment, before turning his attention back to Graves.

 

“We need to make sure that your magic is stable.”

“I apparated us here, didn’t I?” Oh look, his voice had returned. “Without splinching, I might add.”

“Who’s to say I didn’t get splinched?” Newt said, taking off his gloves, two fingers missing.

 

Dread set in Graves. “Oh, Newt. I-I’m so-”

 

“Just teasing,” Newt smiled, the charm on his hand fading and revealing the missing pair.

 

The trick seemed to work, a smile ebbing its way onto Graves’s face. He’d had a feeling that this would work. Usually with his animals, once he’d gained their trust, being silly around them was the best way to get them to come out of their shells. After all, he worked with a lot of abused animals, some having been rescued just in the nick of time. He had to look at Graves as an animal now, much as he knew the older man would hate it.

 

He turned his head up and inhaled deeply. “Food’s almost done!”

 

“Don’t yell at me like this place has rooms. Oh, I forgot. I need to conjure you up a room.”

 

“Don’t waste your energy.”

 

“Pardon?”

 

“I have a shed in my suitcase, I can sleep in their. Seriously though, you shouldn’t be working right now. I’m here to help you, not the other way around.” Right. “If there is a need for different sleeping arrangements then I will be more than happy to help you turn this place into a castle on the inside or whatever, but please. You need _sleep_. _Peaceful_ sleep, the nurses said that the Sleeping Draught they'd been administering on you hadn’t been working as it should have. Thankfully I have some… stronger stuff.”

 

Graves _probably_ should have asked if any of the ‘stronger stuff’ was illegal, but honestly, he was beginning to feel _really_ tired and didn’t have the energy to question it. So he just ate his food and drank the glass of Sleeping Draught that Newt had given him.

 

He fell asleep on the couch and, smiling, Newt went into his suitcase.

 

He needed Queenie’s help on this, a skilled Legilmens as she was, she would definitely be able to help him figure out what Graves was thinking.

 

Only he wasn’t sure that Graves was comfortable having _him_ over, it would probably be worse if he was forced to endure two people. Maybe he could convince Graves to swap him out for Queenie?


	3. Chapter 3

Picquery had given Graves the week off, so he didn’t have to go into work that morning. Newt was still writing an official report for this- which Graves thought was weird considering that the younger Scamander brother didn’t even work for MACUSA.

 

He’d considered asking Newt but thought better of it. It wasn’t really his place to ask and he didn’t want to seem nosy, so naturally he’d just ask Picquery about it via owl.

 

Graves had insisted on using the switch that he kept on standby for whenever family visited, despite Newt pointing out that being in an unfamiliar setting may trigger some rather horrid memories. Psh! ‘unfamiliar’ like Margie and Ed hadn’t dumped their kids on him whenever they saw an opportunity during their toddler years.

 

At least Newt could have his own room now, with a _proper_ bed, not that hammock that Graves had seen when Newt had taken him down there to make some introductions.

 

Seriously though, the creatures down there were magnificent. Maybe MACUSA ought to consider forming a Beast Division of their own, they could hire Scamander as an International Consultant, MACUSA had _way_ too much money and it would mean that he got to see Theseus more often because he had no doubt that his old friend would miss his brother dreadfully.

 

They didn’t really do much that day. Newt mainly just stared at him, which made the older man seek solace in the confines of his bedroom. Newt seemed to get the hint because he started making his check ups a little more periodic. Eventually, he figured that the man had decided to finish that report that he had due in for MACUSA the next morning, and Graves started preparing for Thursday, the day he was going to walk into MACUSA again. It was ingenious! Picquery didn’t expect him in until Monday, nobody did, but sitting around here was hell. Plus, he supposed that it would be better to take this slowly, go in two days before the weekend rather than five.

 

He realized to his dismay that it was getting late, and realized that Newt would be expecting him for dinner soon.

 

What he expected to see when he exited the living space was either Newt’s suitcase or maybe even the Beast Tamer (he wondered how Newt would feel if he ever called him that… better save it for a special occasion then) himself, but what he got instead was a white hairy creature with big eyes that almost reached thigh and was staring up at him.

 

He looked up and saw pots and pans flying around everywhere carrying around food he didn’t even know he had, and a Mr. Newton Scamander orchestrating the cookware absentmindedly with one hand while he wrote out edits with his other hand at the dining table. The scene was terribly domestic and would have warmed Graves’s heart if:

a) He knew what the furry mass staring at him was, but even as he looked down at it he had a creeping suspicion that this was the infamous ‘Dougal’

b) He knew where all that food he couldn’t find yesterday had come from.

And c, the most obvious) Newt Scamander was his family, which he most certainly was not, because there was no way in hell that Graves shared blood with that baboon-blooded, imbecilic oaf whom he called his best friend, and he would carry that philosophy to his Grave (pun intended).

 

Newt looked up from his work to flash a small smile in Graves’s direction.

 

“Hey, how was your day?”

 

“You should know, you saw me about half an hour ago, remember?”

 

Newt blushed. “R-right.”

 

Graves felt a little bad about his dismissal towards Newts friendly remark. “Is this Dougal?” he asked, an attempt to clear the palpable uneasiness in the room. He had to remember that he wasn’t the only one who had been forced into this.

 

Newt seemed to perk up just a smidgen. “Yes,” he beamed, “That’s Dougal, I’d sent him to tell you that dinner’s almost ready.”

 

How? To his knowledge, Demiguise’s didn’t speak English. Then again, Newt was the Beast Tamer, not him, so if it turned out that this particular Demiguise spoke English then he guesses that it was probably his fault for not- the Beast tugged on his trouser. He looked at the direction that Dougal’s finger was pointing at the ready meal on the table.

 

“Well, as I said, Demiguises are clairvoyant, so I sent him because he’d know the right time to call you.”

 

Oh… so they didn’t speak English then. Graves frowned, he’d have to think of _something_ to talk about with the younger Scamander. What had Theseus mentioned about his younger brother? He liked animals, he’d been temporarily expelled from Hogwarts and- and he fought in the War…

 

Graves smiled, they had something to talk about.

_._

_Grindelwald was standing over him as he lay on the floor, still spasming as the effects of the Cruiciatus Curse wore off._

_“Now, Percival,” the monster wearing his face admonished. “This is a very serious offense… I don’t think you're going to be speaking for a while.”_

_He cast a silencing spell on him._

_“Now, let’s try that again. **Crucio!** ” _

Graves breathed hard, feeling hands pushing him down. He gasped for air, sweating profusely.

 

His eyes sprung open and at saw what at first appeared to be a reddish-brown fuzzy type of creature, but as his eyes adjusted he realized that it was just Newt.

 

Newt who was watching him intently. Newt who was clad in a loose shirt and loose pants… whilst Graves was naked…

 

Well excuse him, he didn’t know there’d be any nightmares! He always slept naked, even when family was over, it supposedly had health benefits and it was made comfier by the fact that he owned a rather luxurious set of silk sheets.

 

So yeah, when he saw the Brit’s eyes begin to widen, he grabbed the sheets and hoisted them up, embarrassed as the man got off where he’d (apparently) been sitting on him, equally flustered.

 

“I’m just- I-I heard you shouting and, um, I-I think I should probably just, uh, well, I’ll just go, have a good night, sir.”

 

The younger man fled the scene as though a murder had just taken place.

 

Graves sighed, flopping back down into his bed. Mental note, either buy pyjamas or take some sleeping draughts.

 

He wondered how on earth he’d be able to face the brunet the next day…


	4. Chapter 4

It turned out that the issue was sorted out for him the next day by a surprise visit from his brother… his _annoying_ brother, not Edward.

 

“Hey, bro,” Theodore Graves beamed at his younger brother. “How’s it going?”

 

“Ah,” Graves blinked, unimpressed, his mouth centimetres from his coffee. “You’re here.”

 

“Of course, I had to make sure my _baby brother_ was doing alright!”

 

Seriously, how he had been born second was a miracle to Percival, he was more the annoying kid brother than the annoying older one.

 

“Well I’m fine, how have you been?”

 

“Great! But Nao isn’t doing so well.”

 

Panic filled Graves. What had happened to his eldest niece?

 

“What happened to Naomi?”

 

“Oh, she fell out of a tree, but she’s fi-” Theodore’s eyes settled in the hallway, “Who’s that?”

 

Graves turned- not that he needed to- and saw Newt coming from the hallway dressed in his usual shirt and pants and bowtie, but without his vest and the rest.

 

The young man looked unexpectedly dashing without the rest of his heavy gear dwarfing him.

 

“Uh, this is Newt,” Percival gestured to the man who looked like he was trying to make a getaway. “Newt, this is my older brother, Theodore.”

 

“Please, Newt,” Theodore said, striding forwards to the timid younger male, “call me Theo,” he smiled. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Newt. Are you Percy’s…?”

 

Percival coughed into his fist. “Theodore, a word?”

 

Theo and Percival walked to the toilet and Percival cast a silencing charm on the bathroom door, not being able to trust himself, and knowing that the walls in the apartment were like paper.

 

“What’s it, Percy?”

 

“Theo _fucking_ dore, you can _not_ just come in here and ask if Newt and I are together!”

 

“You're not?”

 

“ _Of course not!_ ”

 

“… Really? Why not?” Theodore frowned.

 

Percival groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Theodore, Picquery sent him to keep watch over me because she doesn’t want me on my own until a psych clears me! He’s not here willingly, let alone because we have some sort of relationship! And I _just_ got out of hospital, so if we _were_ dating, that would mean he was in love with Grindelwald, not me!”

 

Theodore laughed. “Nah, he’s too cute to be with someone like Grindelwald. And he’s your type!”

 

“No, not really,” Graves rolled his eyes, goodness, he hated how Theodore always tried to set him up. Maybe if Theodore spent more time on his own love life rather than fussing over Percival’s then he’d have 3 sets of nephews/nieces rather than two.

 

Percival shuddered. No. _No._ The world did _not_ need more versions of Theodore! Maybe more Margarets but he’d hang himself if Theodore ever reproduced.

 

“Awww, I’d have a go at him if I wasn’t with Elaine.”

 

“ _Right_ ,” Elaine had cheated on his brother six times and yet he _still_ chased after her like a lovesick puppy. Scratch that, Theo would be married if he ended it with the bitch _now_.

 

“Anyways, how _did_ you get kidnapped?”

 

“I’m not _entirely_ sure, but given how long Grindelwald was able to fool those who knew me, my best guess is Emma.”

 

“Emma? She- she wouldn’t… would she?”

 

“She hates no-majs more than most in his army, so is it really that inconceivable that she’d betray family?”

 

Both members of the Graves family had to admit that they hated that that was even a consideration, but it was plausible. Emma had more of a reason than anyone else to hate no-majs.

 

“Hey, do you think we’ve kept Cute waiting out there too long?” Theodore frowned.

 

“What?”

 

“I said, ‘do you think we’ve kept Newt waiting out there too long’” Theodore covered up quickly.

 

“Yeah, we should probably go out now. And _don’t_ make Newt uncomfortable,” Graves warned, earning a chuckle from his brother.

 

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” Theodore smiled ‘innocently’ under Percival’s scathing glare.

.

 

Newt had prepared breakfast for three, Dougal perched around his shoulders contentedly.

 

“So, Newton, my brother tells me that you fought in the war?”

 

Newt smiled a little uneasily. “Yes, well, everyone did.”

 

“Yeah, my older brother and I joined in 1917 when the USA declared that it was no longer neutral. _Percival_ , however,” oh gods almighty, “snuck off to England with forged papers in the hopes of winning the war for the ‘Triple Entente,’” Theodore rolled his eyes. “I actually do believe that that was how he met your brother? Couldn’t stop raving about him in the letters that he sent back home. Gave mom and dad a right heart attack when they found out!”

 

Newt looked at Graves for the first time in two days with something that _wasn’t_ apprehension, in fact, Graves might just say that he looked at him with slightly mischievous eyes.

 

“Oh, wow. Come on, even I didn’t do something that reckless to get into the war.”

 

“Theseus begged to differ when he found out.”

 

Theodore burst into laughter.

 

“Don’t trust Theseus, he’s a big old liar and a mother hen. It’s a shame he doesn’t have children yet, then maybe I’d have someone to share the overprotectiveness with.”

 

“I’m sure Theseus has more than enough overprotectiveness to share between you and whatever children he may have.”

 

Theodore watched on, interest twinkling in his eyes. The reason that he’d come to visit his younger brother was simply because he thought that having the entire family over at once would be too much for the man. He’d figured that Edward wouldn’t come without his family, neither would Margie and their mother and father would just nag and scold and nag and scold. Really, he was the best choice.

 

But seeing him with Newt like this, something in his younger just beginning to come alive in a way that he’d never witnessed in Percival before, it was pure ecstasy, whether or not Percival knew. It almost inspired him to break up with Elaine… almost…

 

Suddenly, for the first time in his little brother’s life, he felt like an intruder (and he’d walked in on Percival losing his virginity for crying out loud!).

 

Theodore coughed, causing the two to look at the man. “I apologize, but I must be going.” He excused himself, standing up from the table. “Thank you for the wonderful breakfast, Newt. It was nice meeting up with you, lil’ bro.”

 

He disapparated out.

 

Graves did the dishes, partially because he wanted to thank Newt for everything he’d done for him thus far and for all the meals he cooked, and for last night _and_ for putting up with Theodore… the other part was because he wanted to practice his magic. Under Grindelwald’s control he’d been put into anti-magic confinements, so it was still a bit of an ‘out-of-body’ experience.

 

Plus, he reckoned that Newt had to feed his zoo- er, _animal colleagues_ , as Newt liked to call them. After this, he figured that he’d probably catch a little more sleep. He had an appointment with MACUSA’s chief psychiatrist, legilimens and renowned author, Dr. Lindsey Parkenham in the evening, so it wouldn’t do to show up exhausted after last night’s… discomforts…

.

 

Dr. Lindsey Parkenham was certainly skilled. She’d taken him through several tests and then proceeded to ask him about what had happened during his captivity.

 

“I know it’s hard,” the blonde said, sympathetically. “But you must try. The road to self-healing starts at the very heart of the problem. Remember, nothing you say will ever leave this room unless it is deemed absolutely necessary or you choose for it to.”

 

Somehow, that didn’t seem to reassure him.

 

“Now, I’m picking up something about a Gellert… Gellert _Grindelwald_ ,” she frowned. “Oh, dear. I’m so sorry about what happened. Would you like to talk about how you felt?”

 

No, but she’d find a way to dig it out anyways.

 

“I can’t help it, my Legilimency isn’t something that I can control, sweety.”

 

Goodness, why was she trying so hard to be nice? He hated it when people faked kindness towards him.

 

“Alright, well, I think that’s enough for one session. I do encourage you to go over what happened to you, perhaps with a friend if you have anyone whom you trust enough. For now this is the end, oh, and Percival. I know that it’s tempting to take a sleeping draught to quell your nightmares, but that will not help your recovery in the slightest, and will likely only slow it down, so please take them sparingly.”

 

He nodded, thanked her, MACUSA was paying the bill, so he grabbed his coat and disapparated back home, ready to call it a night.


End file.
